


A Fightin' Hand

by jeeno2



Series: Short Stories From the Vortex [18]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Innuendo, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-07-22 09:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7430685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeeno2/pseuds/jeeno2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor comes back from the beach with some unusual tan lines.  Jackie notices.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Fightin' Hand

**Author's Note:**

> Written for timepetalsprompts' weekly drabble prompt: "tan lines."

The Doctor has been on the receiving end of many angry glares during the course of his travels.

That said, nothing he’s ever experienced has prepared him for the look of pure, unadulterated fury Jackie Tyler turns on him the moment he and Rose step inside the TARDIS, half-dressed and giggling from their day on the beach.

“Is that -- is that my daughter’s hand?” Jackie demands, gaping and pointing at the Doctor’s bare chest. 

“No,” the Doctor replies automatically, more than a little taken aback at the question.  “Don’t be daft.  Rose’s hands -- both of them -- are over there.”  He jerks his thumb towards Rose, standing next to him in a two-piece bathing suit that drives him quite literally to distraction every time she wears it.  He points down at himself and gives Jackie a patronizing smile.  “ _This_ , Jackie, is my _chest_.”  

Jackie rolls her eyes at him.  “I know it’s your chest, you numpty.  I’m talking about your tan lines.”  She stabs her right pointer finger at his chest again, hard.  “There.”The Doctor raises his eyebrows at her in confusion.  Against his better judgment he looks down at himself at the spot where Jackie’s pointing. 

And he gasps, horrified.  

There, beneath Jackie’s accusatory fingertip, is a pale outline of what is clearly and unmistakably Rose’s left hand.  The skin around it is several shades darker than the flesh within which -- the Doctor realizes, several hours too late -- means his skin is not, in fact, completely immune to Planaria Galaxiara’s heavy UV rays as he’d previously believed it to be.

“Err,” the Doctor says, feeling his face starting to turn red.   _I can explain_ , he wants to say.   _There’s an innocent explanation!_

But what explanation could he possibly give that would satisfy Jackie?  The truth?  That he and Rose are shagging now?  That they’d popped off for a short beach holiday earlier today, and had apparently dozed off together long enough for a telltale tan line outlining Rose’s hand to appear on his bare chest like a metaphorical scarlet letter A?

“I can explain,” the Doctor croaks, survival instinct taking over.  He swallows, hoping his next regeneration will be at least half as foxy as his current one is.  “You see --”

“The Doctor and me are together now, Mum,” Rose says bluntly, interrupting him.  “Guess we musta fallen asleep on the beach.”  She twines her fingers through his and gives his hand a gentle squeeze.  She begins tracing the tan-line outline of her hand on his chest, and giggles at him as he starts to squirm.  “It’s kinda funny, my hand on his chest like that.  Don’t you think?”

Jackie bites her lip as giggles threaten to overtake her, too, despite her best efforts at appearing stoic and annoyed.

“You two will be the death of me,” she says in exasperation, shaking her head.

* * *

 

Later -- as Rose and Jackie sit together in the library in front of the telly, chatting  about their friends back at the Estate, and after the Doctor has had ample opportunity to thoroughly examine himself -- he decides there’s no need to tell Jackie about the tan lines she hadn’t been able to see.

He’ll have to remember to show Rose later.


End file.
